


Enemy of My Enemy, and All That

by Angel_of_the_Axis



Series: Class Sodium [3]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Chloé Bourgeois Friendship, Adrien isn't stupid, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Chloé Bourgeois Character Study, Chloé Bourgeois Has Daddy Issues, Chloé Bourgeois Knows, Chloé Bourgeois Redemption, Chloé Bourgeois-centric, Chloé WILL throw down if you mess with her kingdom, Chloé isn't stupid, Chloé isn't totally obsessed with Adrien, Gen, Implied/Referenced Depression, Minor salt, Not everyone is stupid, Protective Chloé Bourgeois, minor lila salt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:16:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25533466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angel_of_the_Axis/pseuds/Angel_of_the_Axis
Summary: So I'm gonna be honest here: I like Chloe. I know, I know, she was designed to be hated, but she really has some interesting character elements that aren't being explored in the correct way.I adore her 'friendship' with Adrien. I adore her idolizing of Ladybug. But I ADORE her getting a change of heart and finally waking up to what a bitch she's been to both and getting some redemption. Now obviously as of Miracle Queen, all of that potential character development is gone. There's no going back to the way things were. Let's pretend for a minute that it doesn't happen, and that Chloe can finally get some redemption, no matter how small it is. Because c'mon, it's Chloe. She's not gonna turn into Saint John overnight just because she realized that she probably could've been a little nicer to other people.Chloe getting some redemption? Good shit. Chloe getting some redemption but having to work towards being a better person? EVEN GOODER SHIT.Just... Chloe, man. I wish they took her character in stride and gave her more opportunities to become a better person. And hey, who knows? Maybe we could've had the Bee back if she decided to work on gaining trust with Marinette as a friend. And giving us an Adrien/Chloe/Sabrina/Marinette friendship? Bitchhh.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Chloé Bourgeois & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Class Sodium [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1849333
Comments: 3
Kudos: 284





	Enemy of My Enemy, and All That

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm gonna be honest here: I like Chloe. I know, I know, she was designed to be hated, but she really has some interesting character elements that aren't being explored in the correct way.
> 
> I adore her 'friendship' with Adrien. I adore her idolizing of Ladybug. But I ADORE her getting a change of heart and finally waking up to what a bitch she's been to both and getting some redemption. Now obviously as of Miracle Queen, all of that potential character development is gone. There's no going back to the way things were. Let's pretend for a minute that it doesn't happen, and that Chloe can finally get some redemption, no matter how small it is. Because c'mon, it's Chloe. She's not gonna turn into Saint John overnight just because she realized that she probably could've been a little nicer to other people.
> 
> Chloe getting some redemption? Good shit. Chloe getting some redemption but having to work towards being a better person? EVEN GOODER SHIT.
> 
> Just... Chloe, man. I wish they took her character in stride and gave her more opportunities to become a better person. And hey, who knows? Maybe we could've had the Bee back if she decided to work on gaining trust with Marinette as a friend. And giving us an Adrien/Chloe/Sabrina/Marinette friendship? Bitchhh.

A layer of lip gloss, honey flavored. Smack your lips, flutter your eyelashes at the mirror.

Chloe set aside the closed tube of lip gloss and stared at herself in the mirror, her icy-blue eyes almost glowering at her reflection.

Something was wrong at Dupont, and it was bugging her.

"Don't look at me like that," she muttered irritably to herself, turning away from the mirror. Even though she usually adored her visage, now she felt too moody to stare. How could she feel good about checking herself out when the world was being turned upside down?

Something was wrong. Wrong with Marinette. And when something was bugging Marinette more than Chloe usually did, it bugged her too. It was simultaneously confusing and annoying.

For as long as she could remember, she'd known the girl. Cute, shy, yet bubbly Marinette. The goody-goody of the class, the one girl Chloe couldn't break, nor wanted to break.

The two had been friends way back when, before her mother left them behind, before Daddy began buying her anything and everything to keep his precious princess on his side.

It was pathetic, really. Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous.

Chloe had convinced herself that she hated Marinette for all of these years, because why else would she constantly make the girl the butt of her joke? It certainly wasn't because she had a cozy little home with a nice little family waiting for her with open arms after every school day. It wasn't because she had to share Adrien, probably one of her oldest childhood friends, with her just because the boy can't help but make friends everywhere he goes.

It's not like she's jealous, or anything.

She rolled her eyes at the thought. Chloe may be pretty, rich, and stuck-up, but she wasn't stupid, regardless of popular opinion. She'd grown up around wealthy diplomats and affluent people all her life, and she knew how to lie and manipulate to get her way. It also meant she knew a flake when she saw one. And Marinette was no flake.

Everything about the girl was so endlessly _frustrating_. She was sweet and kind to everyone, hardly said an unkind word about anyone, including her -- not that she felt she deserved any kind of kindness -- and to top it off, she was the sweetheart of Bustier's class. Marinette was the best student. Marinette was the most honest girl in class. Marinette, Marinette, Marinette.

Chloe honestly didn't know if she should be awed at the girl's good spirit, or disgusted at her blatant honesty.

In the world of the wealthy, Adrien and Chloe's world, you had to keep all of your cards close to you until the right time to lay them down. You had to become a master at lying and manipulating the masses, your friends, your enemies, even your contacts to keep your place. Adrien was already adept at acting like the innocent happy boy that would charm the populace to be at his side, when in private, he often stressed about his tight schedule and was prone to spots of depression. She empathized and shared the misery with him, as much as he allowed her. She was not stupid, nor was she totally obsessed with her friend. Protective, yes, from those she deemed a threat to him, but she honestly felt that she did it for the greater good.

Marinette was one of those she was immediately distrustful of. Who on earth could be so genuine all the time? Surely she had some kind of deep, dark secret side to herself that she was keeping to herself. Surely she would just be out to manipulate Adrien. But the closer that Chloe -- and Sabrina -- got to her, the more apparent it became that Marinette was just... kind. And it infuriated the young heiress.

Chloe could admit that it was a bit of a bold (and stupid) move to bully her. Now she could admit it. But back then, on that first day of school, she was just so annoyed with the girl that she couldn't help but take out her frustrations on her. Her insecurity with her family, her anger at her wimpy father, even her own self-doubts -- everything was taken out on Marinette. She saw that for how horrible it was now, and she regretted everything.

Ever since Lila came back to school, she'd noticed Marinette (really, when didn't she) become more and more morose and isolated. She didn't hang out with the reporter girl as often as she used to, and it seemed like everyone in class was slowly pulling away from her. Only a few remained: Juleka, Nathanael, Adrien (of course), but the rest either seemed to want to be neutral or just flat-out didn't want anything to do with her. Even Kim, although he was being a crushing idiot on the new girl. Apparently he and Ondine had decided to take a break in the wake of the 'Lila situation' and she was being sidelined... as usual.

And then came the situation with Ladybug. Of course she knew, why wouldn't she? She may not have realized it when she tried to give Ladybug's kwami (Ladybug's, _Marinette's_ , kwami) to Prince Ali as a gift, but when she was called upon to become Queen Bee, she was quick to put two and two together when she first met Pollen and realized what the little god was. And of course one of her first thoughts was, _"Of course it's Marinette."_

She honestly didn't know whether to be jealous or impressed by now. Honestly, if she wasn't worried for her eyeliner, she would have cried from the frustration of the realization. Of course she would be one of Paris's greatest heroes. Of course sweet, justice-oriented Marinette would be her greatest idol. Of _course_.

Now, more than ever, she wanted to make things right. Heck, she'd even decided to lay off the girl a bit once she realized just how miserable she was becoming. At the same time, Lila made her see red. Nobody, and Chloe meant nobody, infringed on her turf. And Bustier's class was her domain. Her kingdom. Chloe was the queen, not some wannabe diplomat's daughter from another stupid country. Nobody messed with her subjects but her. And especially not Marinette.

She clenched her fist and turned back to the mirror, now wearing a determined frown. She checked her eyeshadow one last time and slipped the lip gloss into her purse.

Marinette was her subject. Hers. Not stupid Rossi's. Not some liar's. _Hers_. You could have Alya, you could have Rose, you could even have Kim, but nobody, _nobody_ , touched Marinette. And Lila had committed a cardinal sin: she messed with Chloe's territory. And she'd take the entire school down with her if it meant finally getting that liar out of her perfectly-styled hair.


End file.
